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What New York can learn from Nigeria

10Nov2012

At the fourth annual Maker Faire Africa in Lagos, Nigeria, a quartet of teenage girls ages 14 through 15 have created a urine-powered generator. This eco-friendly energy source cranks out six hours of electricity for every liter of human bodily fluid by separating the excretion’s hydrogen with an electrolytic cell.

Come on, give the Girls stipends for Columbia University.
They are obviously prime Wall Street material.
Looking cute in a suit, and being able to sell their flatulences to some gullible customers : – )

this serves as a very good example, that all development aid and analysis programs should be put under the supervision of some engineers with some real world experience and fundamental understanding of economic factors.

Beyond that, somebody should go looking for the 4th girl in that “quartet”. She is most likely the (only) clever one and probably too ashamed for the waves they caused. She is the real culprit, either way : – ) But that qualifies her, and not the other little idiots on the pictures.

I’m an Associate Professor of Political Science & International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. I use field work and statistics to study poverty, political engagement, the causes and consequences of violence, and policy in developing countries. [Read more]